1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to magnetic memory elements having magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJ) and particularly to improving the internal magnetic stiffness of the free layer of the MTJ to reduce threshold voltage/current during writing thereto.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Magnetic random access memory (MRAM) is rapidly gaining popularity as its use in replacing conventional memory is showing promise. Magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs), which are essentially the part of the MRAM that store information, include various layers that determine the magnetic behavior of the device. An exemplary MTJ uses spin torque transfer to effectuate a change in the direction of magnetization of one or more free layers in the MTJ. That is, writing bits of information is achieved by using a spin polarized current flowing through the MTJ, instead of using a magnetic field, to change states or program/write/erase/read bits.
In spin torque transfer (STT) MTJ designs, when electrons flow across the MTJ stack in a direction that is perpendicular to the film plane or from the pinned (sometimes referred to as “reference” or “fixed”) layer to the free (or storage) layer, spin torque from electrons transmitted from the pinned layer to the free layer orientate the free layer magnetization in a direction that is parallel to that of the reference or pinned layer. When electrons flow from the free layer to the pinned layer, spin torque from electrons that are reflected from the pinned layer back into the free layer orientate the free layer magnetization to be anti-parallel relative to the magnetization of the pinned layer. Thus, controlling the electron (current) flow direction, direction of magnetization of the free layer magnetization is switched. Resistance across the MTJ stack changes between low and high states when the free layer magnetization is parallel or anti-parallel relative to that of the pinned layer.
However, a problem that is consistently experienced and that prevents advancement of the use of MTJs is the threshold voltage or current used to switch the free layer magnetization. That is, such current and threshold voltage requirements are currently too high to allow practical applications of the spin torque transfer based MTJ.
Existing MTJ designs include a free layer, generally made of a cobalt-iron-boron (CoFeB) alloy, formed on top of a barrier layer, which is typically formed on top of the pinned (or fixed) layer. Prior to annealing, the thickness of the CoFeB is typically approximately one to a few nanometers. After annealing, the free layer separates into two distinct layers, one of such layers, closest or adjacent to the barrier layer, is formed with CoFe whereas the other of such layers, farthest and removed from the barrier layer, is made of CoFeB with a rich boron (B) content. The thickness of these layers is typically approximately 0.5 nm or less for the layer that is made of CoFe and the other one of the layers that has a rich B content has a thickness that is the thickness of the free layer minus the thickness of the layer that is made of CoFe, or in the example provided above, 2 nm. Due to this formation, when annealing is performed, such MTJs exhibit a considerable low stiffness. Thus, during programming or writing to the MTJ, the amount of threshold voltage required to switch the MTJ is undesirably high. For example, an MTJ such as that described above with the material an increase in internal stiffness of approximately 0.8×10−6 erg/cm, in its CoFeB part of its free layer after annealing, with a normalized switching reducing approximately 16%, in large part due to the layer of the free layer that is farthest removed from the barrier layer, the CoFeB part of the free layer.
Thus, the need arises for enhanced internal stiffness of the free layer of a spin torque transfer-based MTJ, used in a magnetic memory element, to reduce the threshold voltage or current required to switch the free layer magnetization of such MTJs.